As 2019 begins in earnest, it falls upon me as head of what I’ll overarchingly refer to as our market insight and analysis proposition, to outline our modus operandi for the year ahead.
 
Since I last saw most of you at November’s bumper edition of The Superyacht Forum, I’ve spent the intervening period (festivities aside) locked away behind the scenes beavering away on our first issue of the year, which has afforded me plenty of perspective on where the market finds itself, as well as representing a tidy segue into our first big announcement of the year.
 
Our loyal subscribers will shortly be expecting the delivery of our ‘Annual Report’, our yearly, painstaking dissection of the new build market.
 
And you will, indeed, be receiving your copies of The Superyacht New Build Report, our new-look amalgamation of our two market-leading products, The Superyacht Report and the Annual Report.
 
This will represent the first issue in our exciting new print portfolio of eight editions of TSR, the backbone of our market insight proposition, and the most respected publication covering the business of yachting.
 
We amalgamate the very best of our market reportage (previously presented as a series of Annual Reports) and our operational content (previously under the banner of The Crew Report) into eight editions of our flagship publication. These publications will all focus on a specific sector of the market, and will comprise an unprecedented combination of market data, industry insight and our own unrivalled analysis.
 
So, while we continue to evolve apace, we have paid homage to tradition, and ensured that the first issue of our new portfolio still comprises our analysis of the new-build market. Which takes me back to my initial point, about where the market finds itself as we return to our desks for a new year.
 
In short, it is largely a case of ‘business as usual’. The schism of the new-build market into a two-tier system has been further perpetuated, with strong projected figures for an elite group of around 15 builders, while the rest of the global market operates on a hand-to-mouth basis.
 
It’s clear that new inventory will only be drip-fed onto the market year-on-year, with 135 units a realistic cumulative total for forthcoming years. This will ensure the incremental growth of the fleet, while the industry as a whole focus on the markets that are in a constant flux of activity – namely, brokerage, refit and maintenance, and charter/short-term usage.
 
These are the sectors where the industry should focus its attention, if we are to see collective growth in market capitalisation this year. New constructions will self-perpetuate for those aforementioned elite, and the space for true innovation lies in how existing inventory is best utilised, as per the above.
 
There will be plenty in the way of detail, in the forthcoming issue, to support my assertions. But needless to say, it’s going to be an interesting year ahead, with plenty of room for expansion and growth for those prepared to innovate. And you’ll be able to keep track of all of this within our exciting new print portfolio.  

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